International Credential Evaluation for Graduate Admissions

533 Pages·2011·25.65 MB·English

International
Credential Evaluation for
Graduate Admissions
WORLD EDUCATION SERVICES, INC.
Table of Contents
Section I Obtaining Authentic Credentials
Section II Degree Comparability
Section Ill Calculating the GPA
WORLD EDUCATION SERVICES, INC.
Section I:
Obtaining Authentic Credentials
Methods of Obtaining Authentic Academic Documents
Sample Credentials
How to Obtain Authentic International Academic
Credentials
The single most important step in credential evaluation and international student admissions is
ensuring the authenticity of educational credentials. In this article we share the practices and
experiences of World Education Services (WES) in obtaining valid international academic
credentials.
Since WES published "Forged Educational Credentials: A Sony Talen some 25 years ago, a great
deal has changed. International student mobility has grown by leaps and bounds and now,
through the advent of the Internet, we have much greater access to information on foreign
educational systems, institutions and programs. Furthermore, electronic communication allows us
to correspond quickly and efficiently with academic institutions anywhere in the world.
The Facts
The vast majority of international students who come to the United States do so at great expense.
Their aim is to further their education and earn the skills and qualifications that will help them
succeed professionally. It takes a great deal of grit and determination on the part of these
students to meet all the eligibility requirements for admission to U.S. institutions of higher
education.
Among the thousands of well-qualified foreign applicants to U.S. institutions, there exists a small
minority who will attempt to gain admission by using fraudulent documents. By instituting rigorous
documentation policies and enforcing them, institutions can select qualified candidates, minimize
fraud and protect the integrity of their admissions process.
If students request them, today most institutions abroad are willing and able to send transcripts
directly to U.S. institutions. Thanks to the widespread use of computers, institutions can prepare
and transmit transcripts far more easily than ever before.
What Constitutes an Official Transcript?
In the United States, an official transcript is one that is received directly from the issuing
institution. The mode of delivery may be by mail or by an approved electronic means. An official
transcript must bear the appropriate signatures and seal of the institution that issued it. It is up to
the receiver of the transcript to determine whether a document should be accepted as official for
the purpose of admission to, or employment at, an institution of higher education. Moreover,
documents which may have been in the hands of students are considered not official.
A Systematic Approach
The standard practice among U.S. institutions is to send official academic transcripts directly from
one institution to another. The direct transmission of academic transcripts ensures that institutions
receive authentic documents. By adopting a similar method for receiving international academic
credentials, institutions can help ensure the integrity of the documents they receive while also
reducing the risk of mistakenly accepting altered or fraudulent documents.
In detecting fraudulent international credentials, common practice has relied mainly on the ability
of international credential evaluators to scrutinize each document for obvious errors or
discrepancies. This approach is not only unreliable but it is also impractical because institutions
receiving a large and diverse volume of documents do not always have the necessary staff
resources to closely inspect each and every credential. The only way we can effectively eliminate
fraud is by adopting a new system that ensures that only authentic documents are received.
Therefore, instead of trying to detect false documents after they have been submitted, we must
prevent them from being submitted in the first place.
How to Recognize International Educational Credentials
Credentials are acceptable only when they are issued by authorized educational institutions.
Before accepting a document as valid, the following questions must be addressed:
1. Does the institution exist?
2. Is it recognized or accredited in its home country?
3. Does the institution offer the program that is indicated on the document?
4. Does the candidate's educational chronology support the credential in question?
1. Determining the Existence of Institutions
Determining the existence of an academic institution is the first step in accepting a credential and
the simplest way of detecting and eliminating documents obtained from degree mills. Only
credentials issued by institutions that are listed in authoritative sources, such as the website of
the ministry of education of the country in question, a contemporary edition of the lnternational
Handbook of Universities or the Commonwealth Universities Yearbook should be recognized.
Because non-university institutions are not usually included in the major reference publications
one has to dig a bit deeper and check information published by the educational authorities of the
country in question or in other publications published by third parties to verify their legitimacy.
Important Rule: A catalog or brochure published by an institution itself can be a useful source for
additional information, but should never be relied upon as the only source of information about
the existence or status of a particular institution.
2. Recognition ofI nstitutions
Only credentials issued by recognized institutions may be used for admission or transfer credit in
the United States. Institutions that receive international applicants must establish that the
credentials that are submitted to them were obtained at duly recognized institutions in their
countries of origin.
Every country has laws and regulations that govern the establishment and recognition of
academic institutions within its jurisdiction. It is essential that credential evaluators be familiar with
those regulations and how they are applied. While public (state) institutions are generally
recognized, the status and recognition of private institutions can vary depending on the country.
The following are examples that illustrate the rules that apply in different parts of the world.
8 Private institutions are allowed to operate but cannot label themselves "university" (e.g.
India).
* Private universities may be allowed to offer academic programs but without the authority to
award recognized degrees (e.g. France).
O Institutions are physically located in one country but they are accredited in a third country
(e.g. American University of Paris which has U.S. regional accreditation).
Specific programs and degrees are recognized but the institutions themselves are not
recognized (e.g. Mexico).
@
O Newly recognized institutions may have issued credentials before they were recognized
(former communist countries in Eastern & Central Europe).
Online and distance university programs have become very prevalent in the past decade and
enroll thousands of students worldwide in their programs. Because the Internet is unregulated,
anyone can set up and market courses, programs and even entire online institutions. It is
absolutely critical to track down and establish the status of online or distance education providers
in their country of origin.
3. Programs of Study
It is important to establish whether a given course of study is offered at a particular institution by
checking the major publications, such as the International Handbook of Universities or the
Commonwealth Universities Yearbook. Many institutions maintain comprehensive websites that
list and describe the programs they offer. It is important to use up-to-date reference materials
because programs of study can change as institutions update old programs or add new ones.
4. Educational Chronology
The age of a student and the chronology of his or her educational background must be
compatible with the credential under consideration. For instance, a student should have earned a
high school diploma before being admitted into an undergraduate program and he or she should
have earned a bachelor's degree before starting a graduate program.
Setting Up-to-Date Document Requirements
Today more and more institutions all over the world will send transcripts directly to institutions in
the United States if students themselves request that they do so. This is a reflection of the
increasing international mobility of students, the widespread use of computers and advances
made in student record management all over the world. There are still countries that are not
equipped to send transcripts on demand but their numbers continue to decline with the rapidly
expanding use of information and communication technology in many countries
To ensure maximum and timely compliance, candidates must be given clear instructions on the
documents that they must submit, how to submit them, and all the deadlines that apply. To avoid
confusion, instructions for students must be written in language that they can understand easily
using terminology that is familiar to them. For example, the term 'transcript' can mean a syllabus
in some countries and what is called a 'transcript' in the United States is known in India as a
'mark sheet' or 'statement of marks'. To help them obtain the appropriate credentials, students
must be given clear instructions together with a transcript request form that they can use to have
their documents sent by their home institutions.
For sample transcript request forms please see appendix.
How to Ensure and Verify the Authentlcity of Documents that were not Received Directly
from an Institution
1. If an institution is unable to send transcripts directly, copies of the documents submitted by
the student should be sent for verification to the institution that issued them.
2. Verification requests should be sent to the official address of the institution. Before sending a
document for verification, it is important to check the address to ensure that it is the same as
the one that appears in published sources and not rely solely on the address that is printed
on the document itself.
3. Letters asking for verification should be addressed to the title of the officer who issued and
signed the document (e.g. "Controller of Examinations," "Director of Studies" or "Registrar")
and not to a particular individual.
Sending Documents for Verification
To expedite the verification of documents, the request and relevant documents should be sent by
fax whenever possible. Replies by fax or e-mail are acceptable, provided that the name, e-mail
address, or fax number of the sender can be traced back to the institution's website or in one of
the published authoritative references
Acceptable Verifications of Authenticity
Documents must be verified as authentic by authorized officials at the institutions that issued
them. Verifications issued by embassies, consulates, public notaries or other officials that are
outside of the academic institution are not acceptable.
How Long Does Verification Take?
The time that it takes to obtain responses from institutions abroad varies by country and
institution. Some institutions can take several weeks or even months to reply while others
respond quickly, in a matter of days or weeks. The turnaround time has been decreasing steadily
due to the widespread use of fax and email, but increasingly institutions require the payment of a
verification fee. The payment can be difficult if the institution accepts only checks in the local
currency drawn on a local bank. In any event, students must be advised to submit their
applications early to allow for the necessary verification.
Verification Fees
Many institutions in different countries require the payment of a small fee in local currency before
they verify a document. As it is impractical to issue checks for small amounts in different foreign
currencies, students should be the ones to arrange to have their documents sent directly to the
U.S. institution that they wish to attend.
Translations
Documents are most often issued in the official language of the country of origin. Translations
vary greatly in quality, whether they are done in the United States or in the home country, even
when they are done by professional translators. Unless issued in English directly by the academic
institutions themselves, documents translated into English must be submitted together with the
original language documents as issued by the institutions.
Documents in English
In many countries where English is not the primary language institutions will issue transcripts in
English for students who are bound for the United States. Students from those countries should
be required to have their official transcripts issued in English by the institutions that they attended.
Not only is it more economical for the students to obtain their documents in English from their
institutions, the translation is likely to be more accurate as well. Transcripts issued in English by
institutions themselves are official and there is no need to request documents in the original
language.
How to Detect Fraudulent Documents
Forgeries andA ltered Documents
The most effective and reliable way of guarding against fraudulent documents is to adhere to
strict document requirements and to insist on receiving credentials in the appropriate form directly
from the institutions that issue them.
Documents received from applicants themselves must be closely scrutinized. If a document
contains any of the red flags listed below it should not be accepted but sent back to the institution
that issued it for verification:
0 The grades are very high by the standards of a system where grades are typically
clustered at the lower end.
The format of the document is unusual for the institution or the system of
education.
0 The document contains inconsistent typeface.
Q The document contains spelling errors.
0 The document is marked as "confidential" and yet it is submitted by an applicant.
Q The transcript or diploma is a colored photocopy.
Q Lines, words, numbers, etc. appear crooked on the page.
0 Lines, words, numbers, etc. are missing from the use of whiteout.
Q The document is not signed and/or sealed.
These are obvious indicators that a document may not be authentic, but as counterfeiters now
use sophisticated computers and printers, the documents that they produce can be quite flawless
and difficult to detect. Only strict standards for the submission and receipt of academic
credentials can help eliminate fraudulent documents.
DegredDiploma Mills
If the first step in verifying the authenticity of an academic credential is to determine the existence
and status of the issuing institution, documents from degree mills are, for the most part, easy to
identify.
Degree mills are shady ouffits that sell degrees and transcripts that are not backed up by
appropriate study or examinations. Although they usually give themselves names that sound
legitimate, degree mills tend to operate from mail drops usually staffed by a skeleton crew of just
one or two people, and they are never found in any legitimate publication or website. They are
quite prevalent on the Internet where they pose as distance-learning institutions. Many degree
mills claim to be 'accredited' by one or more fictitious 'national,' 'international,' 'worldwide' or
'global' accrediting agencies. Some degree mill operators have been able to acquire URLs ending
in <.edu> that they try to use as proof that they are legitimate academic institutions. Under no
circumstances should the URL suffix <.edu> be taken as a mark of accreditation or official
recognition.
Documents issued by 'universities' with addresses that are office suites or P.O. Box numbers,
and whose existence cannot be verified in any authoritative independent publication, should be
rejected out-of-hand. If there is any doubt, the document should be sent to the educational
authorities in the home country asking them to venfy the existence and status of the institution in
question.
Establishing the existence and status of an institution must be the first step in accepting any
educational document. If this is done diligently, documents from degree mills are easy to
detect. The most comprehensive online listing of degree mills can be found at
< htt~://www.osac.state.or.us/oda/unaccredited.htm>l . However, it should be noted that while this
list maintained by the Oregon Office of Degree Authorization is a very useful resource, it is by no
means exhaustive; new degree mills are created on an almost daily basis. Therefore, the best
way to identify a degree mill is by conducting the necessary research oneself.
Revised 05/06
International Transcript Request and Release Authorization Form
Note to Applicant: Please complete the top part of this form and send it to the registrar or controller of examinations at
your institution. Print additional copies of this form if necessary. Please note that some institutions may charge a fee for
this service.
Name of Applicant WES Ref. Number:
(~af ppncable)
PreviouslMaiden Name: Date of Birth:
(If applicable) (DayMonW ear)
Current Address:
City StatelProvince Country Ziplpostal Code
E-mail: Fax:
College or University:
Dates of Attendance: From To:
(MonW ear) (MontfdYear)
DegreelDiploma: Year Awarded:
I hereby authorize the release of a transcript of my academic records to World Education Services.
Applicant's Signature: Date:
Note to the Institution: The above-named person is applying to have hidher credentials evaluated and requests that a
transcript of histher academic records be released to World Education Services. Please enclose this form together with
an official academic record in an envelope, sign and seal the envelope across the back flap, and send it directly to
World Education Services.
Name of Person Completing Form (please print)
Position or Title:
Address:
Country:
Telephone Number: Fax Number.
Email: Website:
Authorized Signature: Dab: .
Please return this fonn and official academic records directly to World Education Services at the address below:
By Mail By Courier
World Education Services World Education SeMces
P.O. Box 5087 64 Beaver St. #I46
Bowling Green Station New York, NY 10004
New York, NY 10274-5087 USA
USA